Osprey Media

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Osprey Media LP is a Canadian newspaper chain that publishes 21 daily and 37 non-daily newspapers in the province of Ontario, as well as 30 magazines.

As of September 2006, Osprey Media's dailies had average daily paid and unpaid circulation / distribution of approximately 340,000 copies, while its non-daily newspapers had average weekly paid and unpaid circulation / distribution of approximately 466,000 copies.

1 History
2 Office Locations
3 Daily newspapers
4 Weekly newspapers
5 Other publications
6 External link

[edit] History

Osprey Media Group was created in 2001, when Michael Sifton, heir to the family that had once owned the Regina Leader Post and the Saskatoon Star Phoenix, purchased many of the Ontario newspapers that had been put on the market by Conrad Black's Hollinger newspaper group. As a newly incorporated media group, Osprey Media's purchase marked the first time in many years that a major newspaper sale significantly increased the diversity of newspaper ownership in Canada. They changed their name to Osprey Media LP in early 2006.

Shortly after these acquisitions, Osprey Media began to experience a number of labour disputes. Using scab labour to keep his papers alive, Sifton (who is self-admittedly anti-union) used his near monopoly to force more profitable contracts on the workers. The negotiations during the lockout at the Sudbury Star involved disputes over workers not having enough desks or telephones, and having to share both workspace and equipment. The lockout ended after 3 months, and a new contract which saw roughly a 15 per cent increase in wages over four years.

The Osprey Media Group now owns the majority of local newspapers in Northern Ontario, and has begun to buy out Southern Ontario papers as well. They focus on local and regional news, and have yet to try to compete with the 'big' papers such as the Toronto Star. Nevertheless, by owning papers such as the Kingston Whig-Standard or the Sudbury Star (which are both the leading papers in their area), Osprey is by far the dominant newspaper publisher in Ontario outside of the largest metropolitan areas.

[edit] Office Locations

Osprey Media LP has separated its operations into several different divisions in Ontario. The New Media Department, which develops and oversees Osprey Media's internet and technology related assets, is located in Sudbury. Osprey Media's main office is located in Markham.